Liz Cheney joined her parents on a trip to the Middle East in March 2008.

(CNN) - Liz Cheney is picking up where her father left off when it comes to taking aim at the Obama administration, saying Tuesday the new commander-in-chief appears to be siding with terrorists.

In an interview on Fox News, the daughter of Vice President Dick Cheney sharply criticized the new administration for agreeing to release photographs depicting alleged abuses at U.S. prisons in Iraq and Afghanistan during the Bush administration.

"I think it is really appalling that the administration is taking this step," she said in the interview. "Clearly what they are doing is releasing images that show American military men and woman in a very negative light."

"I have heard from families of service members from families of 9/11 victims this question about when did it become so fashionable for us to side, really, with the terrorists," she continued. "You know, President Obama has a lot of rhetoric about support for American military families, support for our men and women who are fighting for us overseas. But if he really cares about them, then he wouldn't be making such an effort to release photos that show them in a negative light."

Late last month, Pentagon officials said the hundreds of photographs released are from more than 60 criminal investigations from 2001 to 2006, and show military personnel allegedly abusing detainees. But the officials rejected allegations by the American Civil Liberties Union that the photos show a systemic pattern of abuse by the military.

In her interview Monday, Cheney also echoed recent calls from her father for the Obama administration to release classified documents detailing information yielded from the aggressive interrogation techniques since denounced by the president.

"They seem only to be interested in releasing things that really paint American in a negative light and don't give the American people a full picture of what went on," she said.

soundoff(300 Responses)

"I think it is really appalling that the administration is taking this step," she said in the interview.

Hmmm...She is making it sound that publishing the pictures of the abuse are worse than the abuse itself.

Personally, I think it is appalling that the previous administration allowed the abuse to happen in the first place.

May 12, 2009 05:20 pm at 5:20 pm |

christa

I don't think the Cheney family is scared. Sociopaths don't know when they commit crimes or atrocities. Where there is no conscience there can be no remorse.

May 12, 2009 05:20 pm at 5:20 pm |

JP

Gee, I didn't know Liz sat in on these top secret briefings. Did Daddy sneak her in or just pass on classified information at the dinner table? How does she know what went on in these detention centers? How does she know it wasn't torture.

Liz Cheney should be in no position to offer up any more of an informed opinion than any other citizen in this country.

May 12, 2009 05:20 pm at 5:20 pm |

Tulsa

Liz,
Because of your father, over 4300 men and women who swore to defend this nation and uphold her values are now dead.
He diobeyed the law. He tried to conceal his wrongdoing. He lied about intel and continues to deny even though we have a much better grasp of his crimes now.

You, like your father are a traitor to this country and a morally bankrupt individual.

May 12, 2009 05:20 pm at 5:20 pm |

Austin Swafford

The photos don't show soldiers in a negative light. It shows torturers, law breakers, in a negative light. I think the only people who can't make that distinction are the ones who refuse to make that distinction for political reasons. People are able to tell the difference between the soldiers who serve honorably and those who tortured. The whole lot isn't spoiled by releasing these photos and being honest about the lawlessness the Bush administration embraced. America is not worse place for being honest about what we've done. It's a better place for trying to fix it.

May 12, 2009 05:20 pm at 5:20 pm |

Daniel

Why are the words of these people reported. They have no credibility, and have lied for 8 very long years. I am still waiting for the capture of Bin Laden, the weapons of mass destruction. They have tortured put the USA into disrepute and after 8 years terrorism is still a threat and maybe a bigger one than before. Congratulations for a job well done are in order.

We do not want hear what these people say anymore, their opinions are irrelevant. The only news I want to hear about them is when they will be prosecuted for their crimes.

May 12, 2009 05:20 pm at 5:20 pm |

OHDRK30

Why is everyone so upset about the releasing of the Photos, Bush said it did not happen. So there is no need to look any futher.

And since when is telling the truth "siding with Terrorist"?

All Cheney needs to do is raise his shotgun, We all will fall in line.

May 12, 2009 05:21 pm at 5:21 pm |

joe phillips

Light is not positive or negative. Shedding light on a subject just makes it easier to analyze. The "aggressive interrogation techniques" used on prisoners at Gitmo and Abu Grahb was never to gain vital information that saved "thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of lives", as VP Cheney stated.

It was meant to punish and torture enemy combatants that had been rounded up and detained.

Timely and valid information can be got with sodium penethol in less than thirty minutes. Thirty days of waterboarding is torture.

Liz Cheney is upset that the records are subject to public scrutiny.
I guess I can understand her embarrassment.

May 12, 2009 05:21 pm at 5:21 pm |

Rebecca

Amazing Liz Cheney can have any relevance and claim to speak for America after all her father did to deprive us of our constitutional rights invoking 9-11 fear. Haven't the Cheneys used the 9-11 victims enough already. Liz certainly did not volenteer to go fight in Iraq for that "mushroom cloud" and WMDs her father promised us in Iraq. Oh yes, how much did his company Halliburton and Cheney earn off his phony cries of "Wolff"?Seems like Bush and Cheney need to be apologizing for the mess they made of our economy and the americans killed in their phony war, not to mention Iraqi.

May 12, 2009 05:21 pm at 5:21 pm |

Harvey for Obama

What is appalling is Bush and Cheney and their treatment of war prisoners wheather they were guily or not. And by the way, why don't Cheney and his family just go away.

May 12, 2009 05:21 pm at 5:21 pm |

Caine

Obama picked this fight. By getting on camera and floating out feelers that he would be open to prosecuting Bush and Cheney, he brought on this war. Cheney is forced to publicly defend himself if Obama hints that he will be arrested. Also, Obama was forced to publicly admit the waterboarding got us vital intelligence after criticizing Bush for it, but uses a face-saving argument "we could have used other methods" not spelling out what those other methods are. Obama has egg on his face about Waterboarding. Obama shouldn't pick a fight he cannot win, and I agree with the Cheney's that Obama shouldn't publicly humiliate our troops on the national scene, then act like he supports them.

May 12, 2009 05:21 pm at 5:21 pm |

Chris

If it was so noble and helpful, why are you worried it will come out, daughter of a former VP?

Let's see all of the data and let the American people decide.

May 12, 2009 05:21 pm at 5:21 pm |

Veronica

Liz who? What rock did she crawl out from under?

May 12, 2009 05:21 pm at 5:21 pm |

joann

Republicans continue the rhetoric "Obama is terorist". Fox News continues to talk about Ayers and Wright. How can they criticize Sykes for saying things about Limbaugh? She's a comedian, Cheney was Vice President of the United States. Republicans should know better.....

May 12, 2009 05:22 pm at 5:22 pm |

CMG

This family is not only dysfunctional but disturbing. Do they not get it? There is a reason why this man's popularity is less than 20%. Please pack up your arrogance and return to Wyoming.

May 12, 2009 05:22 pm at 5:22 pm |

Robin

Yes, he does side with terrorists.

What people do not understand is that the Left has such a pure hatred for Bush and Cheney, they are willing to jeopardize our national security to get their point across.

May 12, 2009 05:22 pm at 5:22 pm |

Carl

Yes, it's far better to hide everything we've done and look like hypocrites. Servicemen and women who've broken the law should be allowed to continue breaking the law just because of 9/11. I served in the air force for 12 years, and the idea that it's okay to abuse prisoners was never something that crossed my mind. I certainly don't appreciate the men and women who've done this, they've degraded the reputation of our armed forces worldwide, and the excuse of 9/11 is a poor one to suggest we should hide it from the public.

Perhaps we should take a leaf from the ex-vice president's own book and say that people who criticize a President in a time of war are being unpatriotic and anti-American.

May 12, 2009 05:22 pm at 5:22 pm |

Joe in NJ

"If defenders of torture really think it worked — that it was worth the moral trade-off for the intelligence allegedly obtained from it — then stand up for that position. But don't try to pretend it didn't happen, which is apparenly what Ms. Cheney would prefer."

They're not pretending it didn't happen. In fact, if you had bothered to read the article, it stated that Cheney's daughter, like her father, is urging Obama to release the documents detailing the information that was obtained.

May 12, 2009 05:22 pm at 5:22 pm |

Paul I

Unfortunately, the release of information about what did go on tells us more about the abuse of power by the Bush administration with Dick Cheney's heavy involvement. I'm sure Liz doesn't want to have to explain to posterity why her dad was promoting illegal activity in the name of patriotism.

May 12, 2009 05:22 pm at 5:22 pm |

a southern progressive moving north

i say release everything... because you can never know who you truly are until you can see yourself clearly in the mirror.

the neo cons want to keep the glass foggy to all americans, while the world gets to see through clear eyes what the neo cons have turned our country into.. something most americans would not be able to stomach.

being honest is not siding with the terrorists,, however torturing is turning us into the terrorists.

get a clue.

May 12, 2009 05:22 pm at 5:22 pm |

Smarty

If you think for one nanosecond that either Cheney cares about the wellbeing of Americans then you are stupid.

Dick Cheney is facing jail time, and the more he flaps his pie hole the more desperate he feels his day of reckoning is coming. He thinks he can talk his way out of anything. Buh-Bye.

May 12, 2009 05:23 pm at 5:23 pm |

Mike Mc

A policy of systematic torture is a policy that not only puts you on the side of terrorists..it makes you a terrorist yourself..

We have (or should have) higher principles in this nation of ours

May 12, 2009 05:23 pm at 5:23 pm |

Seriously?

Then perhaps they shouldn't be doing things that PUT them in a negative light. It's rather sad that you, Liz, cannot think for yourself. Just going around spreading the same hate (with no truth or substance) begging people to listen to you. Pathetic.

May 12, 2009 05:23 pm at 5:23 pm |

andrewstl

wow i did not think i could casre less for an opinion from dick cheney but his daughter is more ignorant and irrelevant than he is. hope your dad goes to jail and gets tortured you twit

May 12, 2009 05:23 pm at 5:23 pm |

zig

Yes, heaven forbid the citizens of this country should actually see what happened!